The Spyder Bass-Utterly Surprising. Entwhistle Was No Fool

[senmen]

Sonofa,
Many congrats to that Great Spyder!
I once Owned two and am currently Planning in buying  
a new one.  
Have fun
Oliver (Spyderman)

[senmen]

Hey Dinan,
JE did have no Dragon Wings As there were non in existance when he Passed away.  At that Point only the Design drawings did exist.  
Greetz
Oliver (Spyderman)

[jacko]

I always thought RogerTVR had the first dragonwing. I'd have liked to have seen it in person but he stopped posting here some years ago.
 
Graeme

[senmen]

Graeme,
Roger did own the first Dragon Wing and I had the honor playing it when he picked it up back then with Edwin van Huik
That First DW was based on Susan's and Roger's design concepts.  
Greetz
 
Oliver (Spyderman)

[sonicus]

That is a Kool pic. That bass seems comfortable to play .  
 
Wolf

[bsee]

Trevor,  
 
When I picked up a used Spoiler/Exploiter many years ago, it came without a case at all. The shop was selling it with a keyboard bag for transport. It was okay, but still large. I also had the cone headstock, and I'd want to be a lot more careful with the V of a Spyder.  
 
-bob

[5a_quilt_top]

Carl (dinan) now has Spyder 44/50 which I previously owned.
 
I do miss her, but she wasn't getting played as much as my other Alembics mainly due to transportation logistics - down-sized my vehicle = no room for case.
 
I can confirm that a Spyder sounds MASSIVE and sustains like nothing else - even other Alembics. I once timed the sustain of the open A string at low volume with no compression and it was clearly audible for over 60 seconds.
 
And Spyders are surprisingly comfortable to play either seated or standing. They are remarkably well-balanced instruments.

[sonofa_lembic]

Bob,
Thanks for the tip.  I was eyeing a keyboard bag as an alternative, but would really like a well fitting gig bag.  I have high hopes the one I ordered will work.  Then this bass will be at every gig, and not just the ones with large stages to accommodate the dining table sized hardshell case.

[mica]

Roger did get the first Dragon Wing, but the design concept was for Entwistle as a beautified Buzzard, as John had asked several times for us to build him a Buzzard, but mom thought it just was too ugly. Sadly, John passed away only days before we were meeting to finalize the specifications on what was to be his own Dragon Wing.

[jacko]

I'm with your Mom on the Buzzard. Ugly as sin.
 
Graeme

[ajdover]

A couple of things ....
 
I've owned a Spoiler-Exploiter (actually my first Alembic), a Dragon's Wing, a tribute Spyder, and now my custom Series II Entwistle Replica Exploiter.
 
The biggest differences I noted between all of them was where the neck joined the body.  On the Spoiler, it wasn't much of an issue in terms of playability, for me at least, because it was a 32 scale.  On the DW and the Spyder, it was.  The Spyder was probably the hardest for me to play - my arms aren't all that long, and my left arm was almost fully extended when on the first fret.  Both the DW and Spyder had great tone, but the ergonomics just weren't for me.
 
Now, my Series II is a completely different animal.  It is closer in shape to Entwistle's originals than the tributes are, and the body is moved up on the neck more, making it easier for me to play.  The body is more pinched at the waist, and the wood back plates and truss rod covers make it far lighter.  I also spec'd out a jazz bass like neck, which I prefer.  And it's a Series II - the tonal possibilities are endless.  
 
Here's a pic of me with it .....
 

 
Alan

[ajdover]

A far better picture is here ....
 
http://www3.alembic.com/img/co_inlay_notefornoteL.jpg

[sonofa_lembic]

Looks like your Series is virtually the same dimensions as the Spyder I have.  Tail pieces on mine look even farther back, making the neck reach less.  Your old basses must have been unusual.  
 
Well, the gig bag arrived today, and the bass fits!  The quality is pretty good, and the price is right at $44.00.  Got it just in time for my gig tomorrow night.  

[senmen]

Trevor,
That gigbag Looks good!
Which make?
Oliver (Spyderman)

[ajdover]

Trevor - my Spyder was exactly like yours, right down to the V head.  Having owned one and now with the Series II, there are big differences between the two of them ergonomically, to me anyway.  Oliver helped a lot in getting the body shape right (as did Mica) - we actually used a picture of Entwistle's old basses to get the body shape right.  
 
One big difference is the lower horn.  On my Series, the cutaway is almost below the fingerboard.  On my Spyder, it was even with it (you can actually feel the flat side of the truss rod cover on the Series).  
 
It would be interesting to do a side by side comparison of the two.  I'm going to try and see if I have any pictures of my old Spyder to compare it with the Series.